Poultry-feeder.



N` E. B. TALCOTT.

FOULTRY FEEDER. APPLICATION FILED ocT. 26. 1914. nENEwED PR. 15. |916.

Patented May 23,1916.

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LNATHAN EDMUNDSTON BERRY TALCQTT, OFRICHMOND, VIRGINIA.

POULTRY-FEEDER.

Specification of Letters Patent. Y

Patented May 23, 191e.

Application led October 26, 1914, Serial No. 868,733. Renewed April 15, 1916. .Serial No. 92,070.

(DEDICATED To THE PUBLIC.)

ers, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in poultry feeders designed to feed young chickens. 1 Y

v:This application is made under the act of March, 1883,chapter,l-13 (22 Stat., 625), and the invention herein described and claimedmay be used by the Government of the United States or any of its oiiicers or employeesinthe prosecution of-work for the Government, or any person in the United States, without payment to me of any royalty thereon. f

An important object of the invention is to provide a Vpoultry feeder of the vabove mentioned character, having its perforated pecking portion or portions presenting no closed pockets or angles with the tray or troughA of the apparatus, in which the chickens may get wedged and smothered, by the crowding in ofthe others, such pecking portion or portions being vertically spaced a substantial distancefrom the trough providing an opening through which the chickens will pass, upon crowding.

A further object of the invention is to provide a feeder of the above' mentioned character,rwhich will supply the feed in a proper manner without excessive feeding,

-upon the chickens pecking the lperforated portions thereof, whereby a substantial economy is effected in the consumption of the same, and the unusedfeed retained clean prior to use.

A further object of the invention is `to provide apparatus of the above mentioned character, having its perforated pecking portions so angularly arranged that the catching of the bills of the chickens therein, is eliminated.

A further object of the inventionis to provide a feeder of the above mentioned character, having a large perforated pecking area, whereby the same may be employed to feed, at the same time, a large number of chickens, without crowding.

A. further object of the invention is to provide apparatusY of the Aalcove mentioned character, which is simple in construction,

inexpensive to manufacture, strong, durable and reliable in operation.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same, Figure l is a perspective view of a chicken feeder embodying my invention, and, Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

In the drawings, wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of my invention, the numeral 5 designates substantially vertical end pieces, secured at their lower ends to a foundation 6, carrying side strips 7, forming a fiat and shallow feed catching tray 8.

Secured to the upper portions of the end pieces 5 are side pieces 9, coperating with the end pieces for forming the-body portion of the hopper 10. The upper portion or top of this feed hopper is normally closed by lids or covers 11 and 12, which are angularly arranged and engage with tapered portions 13 of the end portions 5, as shown. The cover or lid 11 is preferably rigidly attached to the end portions 5 by any suitable means, while the cover 12 is pivotally connected therewith bv means of hinges 14 or the like, to be swung to open and closed positions to afford access to the interior of the hopper. By having the covers or lids 11 and 12 inclined, the same provide a suitable shed for the feed hopper, preventing rain from entering the same, thus keeping the feed dry.

The feed hopper 10 has'afsubstantially V- shaped perforated bottom 15, preferably formed of woven wire fabric of a suitable mesh while the same may be formed of perforated sheet metal or the like. This perforated substantially V-shaped bottom increases in width upwardly and has its upper 1 edges attached to the side pieces 9, with its apex spaced a substantial distance from the feed catching tray 8, so that the chickens may `rea dily pass through the tray or trough from one side thereof to the other, beneath the foraminous bottom. It has been found that by employing this substantially V- shaped perforated bottom, the feed is prevented from passing too freely therefrom, upon the chickens pecking the sides thereof,

but will feed in proper amounts. This is due to the; fact that as thefeed descends ,in

` Vthe hopper, the inclined walls of the perforated substantially V-shaped bodyV portion Y exert a wedging effect upon the material,Y compressing the same to al certain extent, thus preventing excessive feeding.. The furr-V Y ther' advantage in having this substantially i V-shaped perforated bottom with its walls an- Y GHS.

gularly arranged, is that in order to peck the samethe chickens are forced to incline their heads upwardly, whereby the same` are arranged at substantially a right'. angleto the walls thereof, which I have yfound prevents the chickens having their bills caught in the perforated material. A further advantage in my construction, with the `perforated botmaterial which falls yfrom theYpecking sur. face, being caughtl in the tray, so that the same may be conveniently eatenrbythe chick-Y lVhile I .have shown-both sides of Ythe substantially V'- shaped bottom Y as being formed of perforated materia'L-it is obvious' that some degree of success is obtainable by having only one side'thereof perforated.

In the use of the apparatus, the Yfeed is placed within the hopper, and is supported byv the substantially VJShaped Vperforated bottom 15. YThe chickens, when feeding, peck upon the inclined walls of this perforated bottom, whereby' the feed passes therethrough in proper amounts without excessive feeding. TheV feed Vwhich the chickens do not catch when pecking is caught in the trayarranged Y directlyU below the substantially Y`V-shaped perforated bottom, Vwherebythe same-may be consumed. Y p Y Y -Y It istoYbe understood that the form :of my. invention herewith shown and4 describedV is to be taken as a1 preferred example of the same, andthat various changes ,in the shape,Y`

size, and arrangement `ofwparts'may be Vre-V sorted towithout vdeparting'from the spirit of the invention or the joined claims.

claim Y l. A feeding ing' a depending perforated bottom substan V I apparatus ,for young:.chick-V;v v Y ens or theV like, vcomprising a feed hopper havscope of the sub- .Having thusY described my-zinientiorya'V `I Y tially Ji-.shaped in cross-section and taperingg` Y from one side ofthe apparatusl to Vtheother without Y. undue crowding', Vand means con# Y Y Y necting the tray with the hopper,.-V

Y. 2. A feeding?apparatusfor youngchick-y Yclined perforated wall; a substantially 'flat feed'catching tray arrangedbeneath the bot- Y Atom( of the hopper and spaced a substantial distance from-theflower end-of thef'p'erfofv rated wallto provide a passageV whereby the in presence of two witnesses.'Y

downwardly; asubstantiallyflat feedcatch- Y Y ing tray Yarranged Y'beneath theV bottom of the Y Y Y hopper and,Y spaced a Ysubstantial distance from the apexithereof to Vvprovide 'al passage whereby theV chickens may'convenientlypass ,Y

chickens may conveniently epass from on? Y .i i

Ysaj Y Y -NATHANYEDMUNDSTONBERR TALCO'TT. Y;

Witnesses; C. C; CCKYE,

Y Y MQGVALLAGE.

(naples of this patent jmay'lbre obtained forj've cents each, by address-ing, the VfGominis'sionei. if ratsamf ',Wasmngwmn. Y Y Y Y 1 

